Jeff In The Junkyard: Wintertime Finds
Although I generally loathe winter, it is my preferred season for visiting salvage yards. If the mercury stays above 20 degrees, my flannel-lined work gear keeps up with the colder temps. Plus, this means there are generally no bugs / bees / spiders / etc. to have to deal with when scouring parts cars! I’ve visited a few different yards lately, and spotted junkyard finds like this used-up Bronco – or is it an early Land Rover? There are a few more for you to ID below.
I can honestly say I hadn’t seen an AMC Concord in the flesh up until spotting this one in a salvage yard near Walpole, Mass. This little sedan looked fairly complete, despite the rust perforating the fender. No idea if that’s original paint, but I imagine that uncracked grille might be worth snagging for an AMC owner.
Mmm, a tasty Ford Capri! This one had clearly been repainted and looked like someone’s stalled project that unfortunately got booted from the garage and ended up here. No interior, either, so perhaps a better car was found and this one disposed of – but given how hard they are to find, I’d have pulled some of the clean panels and rare blade-style wheels before selling it to the yard.
I’m sure Scotty G will know what this vintage Japanese sedan is, but I don’t. I’ll be lazy and peg it is as Corolla, but whatever it is, the body was rust free on top but ugly along the bottom of every panel. The interior was definitely worth pulling if you’re restoring one of these early commuter cars. There’s also a row of battered MGAs behind this car and the Capri next to it.
What’s in this picture? I’ll start with the easy ones – a Fiat X1/9, Mazda RX7 coupe and a very rough VW Beetle convertible. What else can you see in the rows around these three junkyard companions? The Mazda was largely complete, so I’m guessing that’s a case of the rotary engine giving up the ghost, while the Fiat’s open engine lid indicates it still had some good motor parts to give.
This Scout has been parked for many years, but with its plow still affixed to the front end, I’d bet it would go right back to work if it could. However, the extent of the rust visible to the naked eye would lead you to believe it would break in half the first time that plow snagged a rock or a curb. Still, these trucks would make a handsome workhorse, even today.
Speaking of workhorses, how about these two? I believe the truck on the bottom used to work for the U.S. Postal Service based on the faded lettering on the rear door, which would make this one sweet sled if restored back to its original colors and lettering. The Jeepster on the top clearly had a bed of some kind on the rear end at one time – what model would it have been?
Ah, the Gremlin. A classic in any form, even when it’s sandwiched between an old Nissan Sentra and a Subaru Justy. Perhaps, though, its protection from the elements has helped its sheetmetal fare better than the Beetle next to it that sits on top of the pile, exposed to snow and slush for at least half the year. Well, if you see any other cars worth identifying, leave your input in the comments below – and hopefully, I’ll be back with new material in the weeks ahead.
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Comments
What’s a junkyard? We have “automotive recycling facilities” and not many of those either. Pretty sure that’s a Datsun B210, and the Jeep is not a Jeepster, but a late 40’s pickup, sans the box. ( 1950 they changed the grill) Don’t forget those damn hornets, my arch nemesis. Otherwise, fun to look, but stuff is pretty picked over.
Exactly, when I was young there were about 4 “junkyards” within 8 miles, now there’s only one, and it only deals with late 90’s and up. When I went digging in one junkyard for parts for my 68 Catalina I found plenty of parts, plus an entire Gran Prix interior. Pontiac mags, plus 428 emblems. I had the coolest beater Catalina around.
Now, it’s all cookie cutter cars that are only good for an alt that’ll last 6 months if you’re lucky.
I sure miss those days of digging through the old junkyard scene……
I miss junkyards. My dad would always take me just looking through them for no other reason than to look. Loved it.
I’ve absolutely hated that politically correct, sterile term for a junkyard since it became used with regularity. We lose a little bit more of our soul every day it seems.
can anybody tell me where this junk yard is located I would like to check it out.
that’s Goldie’s in Walpole, Ma. their on RT1a
That’s a Bronco, all right, and not a Landie. This being BF, I’m surprised Jeff didn’t aim his camera at the car to the Capri’s right, which is a perennial fave around this site: an Opel GT. Or, for that matter, the MGA behind the Datsun.
Reminds me of the Good Old Days, when I was hitting up the Pick-Your-Part yards regularly in search of bits to keep my stable of Renaults running! That was in CA, so of course there was less rust….
CORRECTION, “was” a Bronco….
Did you go grab it, Tasker?
YOU would think so Todd, reasonably close by too!
Big foot out there too
If one wants a winter time junkyard experience, check out the yard in Yellowknife, NWT. I was there in 1980 and marvelled at the rust free early 60’s iron. I’d imagine (hope)it’s all still there as scrap steel has likely never been worth enough to ship South. Bring a Flashlight.
Where is this yard?. I am interested in capri parts, and that looks like a good possibility.
Goldie’s in Walpole, Mass. If you’re looking for something specific, I can go hunt for it if you’re not local.
I miss their Saturday “Grabathons” – I scored a bunch of stuff for my ’64 ‘cuda for $10 at Goldie’s many moons ago……..the best was when there were two other yards nearby – it was like a junkyard shopping mall!
Hi
I tried phoning them with no luck. Goes to a mailbox that is full every time. I am interested in the capri. Any suggestions?. Thanks, Andrew
I believe I have a Ford NOS fender for one of those Capri’s if you are interested
Hi Can you get in touch regarding the fender. Thanks, Andrew
In front of the Fiat are two roadsters, the gold one may be a Fiat 124 but not enough of the other to identify, who has the sharp eye identify it
My guess is the red one is also a 124. The shape of what’s left of the rear fender makes me think so….
Is that Goldie’s on Rt 1A in Walpole?
I love going through auto boneyards. My girlfriend rolled her eyes when I told her I could pack a lunch a spend an afternoon in one.
Yessir! I lucked out last time I was there when I stumbled upon an old gray-market BMW 7-Series. Nice guys and great prices.
I’ve always had good luck there too. I haven’t gone since I bought my current Mustang though.
Is this the same Jeff L. I used to pull BMW speakers for out of Sacramento?
Rich S. – yessir, the one and only! Appreciated all the help over the years, but most of the PnP yards raised their prices and I couldn’t make it work anymore. I would convert them to modern speakers and put them up for sale, but the price increase made it hard to break even once shipping was factored in…and I, too, miss my days of taking photos for Row52.
My wife can’t understand how I can spend a day at a junkyard and just walk around and look at old junk. If I was brave, I’d tell her the same way I look at her every day. J/k. I’m not the smartest redneck, but I’m not the dumbest one either. All joking aside, I do love my beautiful wife!
I used to work for Row52.com as a “photo agent” – I took pictures of all of the new arrivals to several Pick and Pulls in the Sacramento/Stockton area and it was probably my favorite job ever – kind of like letting a drunk tend bar.
Tell her it’s the same way she can walk around stores looking at shoes!
Imagine getting free reign in 1981, there were Pontiac GP’s, Roadrunners and tri-fives! Every imaginable car from the early 50’s till the 70’s…..
The owner, who knew my father, pulled a 400 Pontiac motor and layed it in the middle of the drive so we could remove the pistons since one of my rods had a crack in it. If I remember correctly, he charged me $25.00 for all 8 pistons, plus let me look around for parts I could buy at a later date. Man, I found all kinds of goodies, I spent a whole summer the next year removing parts for that old Catalina. Good times, really good times…….. 😊
@Jeffro: Then just tell her that it’s the same thing as when she goes “shopping” for a day, but doesn’t buy ANYTHING, because she was just shopping! :-)
Unfortunately, she would NEVER go shopping and not buy anything!
I have a 1977 CJ-5, and it’s pretty nice. I wonder if they would have an old snowplow setup for it? I’d like a period correct one just for kicks, I’d never need one where I live.
Man I love that Bronco!
who doesn’t?
My favorite mode of motion for sure
The “blade” wheels on the Capri are first gen Fox Mustang TRX wheels and tires. Would be worth pulling if the buy price were right. My brother put a set on his 74 Capri “back in the day” and with the right springs and shocks can really improve the handling. I don’t remember if the roters need tone changed or not. Don’t think so because both were four luggers…
I too, ran TRX wheels on my Capri II back in the day- a direct bolt-on, though the 220/55-390 tires offered a great compound for the day but were a little tall for the Capri. And they were expensive.
I do miss my Capris.
Sometimes.
Love the triple white wall General Dual 90 snow tire on the front of the Bronco. I used to run General recaps as they had a puncture liner and were less likely to come apart. :)
By the Bronco looks like a 1965/66 Impala behind, on the right Polaris convertible, on the left Lincoln Mark IV. Near the Fiats I see a Beetle convertible. The GM panel truck could be a 3/4 if it has 16 inch wheels or a 1 ton if it has 17 inch wheels.
I’m lucky my wife (with her camera) crawls through places like that with me. She spotted our Subaru 360 in a junkyard.
It’s probably not all that important one way or another, but that Willys isn’t a “Jeepster.” Jeepsters were an open touring car sort of vehicle, with a soft, folding top. That’s just a cab for a pickup or flatbed. But it is one of the earlier ones!
Thanks, Puhnto, for the clarification!
I was going to say the same thing, growing up on a ranch in southern Kansas, we had one of those old Jeep pickups, they were practically indestructible, my job starting at 4 years old, was to drive the Jeep pickup with my grandfather on the back caking cattle with hundred pound sacks of cattle cake (feed) He would get it going at idle, and I would steer, when he yelled stop I would shut off the ignition switch. I couldn’t reach the brakes or the gas pedal, but that old four banger had enough torque it would just idle right along. Kids now don’t believe me when I tell them I started driving at that age. most of them don’t even have a drivers license when they get out of high school, which is unimaginable to me.
I think the Corolla may be a Datsun. It looks like there is a “D” on the grille in front of it. Either way great yard pics.
The corolla is a datsun 120Y (not sure what it was called in the US market) here in the UK, they could dissolve before your eyes on our salt Laden roads.
Sadly these sort of yards are disappearing here too.
Interesting. Yes here in the U.S. the Corolla was Toyota.
Wow, I’ve been a “semi-professional” pick a parter for over 20 years and I’ve never heard of Row52.com. Pretty cool. Of course since I got married my yarding time has been significantly reduced!
That time we picked out by Big T’s place was a lot of fun, wish we had more of those days! I have used car-parts.com before.
Hey Jeff was the picture of the Willys pic up taken recently? I live in Mass about an hour from there and I am looking for Willys parts for my 53 Willys pick up. That one looks like a 47 pick up to me. My grandfather owned Leo’s Autonoarts in North Smithfield a Rhode Island. He incorporated it Inthink in 1969 but my dad said he started collecting cars long before that in the 50’s. My dad was born in 1941 and my grandfather had all kinds of cars by time my dad was a teenager. The junkyard is still in the same location and retains the same name as when my grandfather owned it although my uncle sold it 10-15 years ago. It is on Old Iron Mill Rd in North Smithfuekd R.I. I knew a 55 Chevy, 41 Fordvetc before I knew my ABC’s
Bobby
Damn fat fingers… That is North Smithfield Rhode Island….. Leo’s Auto Parts
Leo, thanks for replying. It may not be there given I have taken these photos over the last few months. Tell me about Leo’s – I’ve never been there! Looks like there is a place called Bernard’s just up the road, too. Any idea if they keep any older European tin around?
Hi Jeff, Leo’s Auto Parts was up the road from Bernard’s. I think Bernard’s closed down years ago. I have not been to my grandfather’s old junk yard in years.
Boneyard pictures – PERFECT extension to Barn Finds! There are a lot of boneyards still out there but the good ones are closely guarded secrets. I know of a Mopar yard in mid-michigan but only mopar people know about it – no exceptions. Heard of a Mustang one too.
We used to visit an awesome yard near Harrison, MI called Fox’s instead of bow hunting in the early ’80s. Image burned into my mind of a ’70 Super Bee on the ground, complete with N96 hood (with little 440 emblems) and slapstick 4-speed. Loved ’70 Bees ever since.
I meant pistol grip shifter
Yeah SortedCorty, I think it’s pretty clear Jeff has hit a nerve with these JY pics!
YARDFINDS!
Back in the late ’60s I used to travel the junkyard route! I would find tons of Model A parts, plus numerous Anglia and Willys , badges, license plates etc. Looked up in the rafters and found 27 horn button rods for the Model A still in wrapping! Used to sell at swap meets to fund my hot rods. Great times!!
Jeff, I always wondered what you did with all those speakers – hah!
I’m actually back working for Row52, but in an online capacity. I mainly review all of the Parts Wanted requests and prompt posters to answer questions that might prevent them from getting the correct part (the newer the vehicle, the more specific the parts seem to get).
Pick and Pull acquired them about a year ago and is finally getting some traction. Some significant site improvements are coming shortly and should improve usability.
Now if we can get the yards to stop taking pictures like this:
http://cdn.row52.com/images/a6002940-01df-4d3e-8922-283ce875e54a.JPG
I don’t think any of us would have been paid for that… I found some good stuff over my two years of walking the yards but hardly get there anymore. Probably will go this weekend at half price days!
Rich – can I get in touch with you thru the Row52 site? Or if you want, drop us a line to my attention via [email protected]. I’d love to bounce something off of you….
Mail sent – thanks
I remember when Pick-A-Part had their “all you can carry” sales. I thought in todays litigious society those were long gone but NOPE!
http://autoweek.com/article/junkyard-treasures/pinnacle-junkyard-sales-all-you-can-carry-5999
do any yards in Mass still do this?
last one that I went to was @ Self Serve in Freetown, that ended when Pick-n-Pull bought it about 5yrs ago. PNP closed that store 2yrs ago.
Looking for SIMCA parts/cars. Any year, any model. Especially Vedette-based cars.
Goldie’s has several of my vehicles over several decades (60s, 70s, 90s). They supplied few parts. They WERE however there when needed.
Is the place going? just of interest?
Great pics brings back some good memories of rummaging through car yards … mostly all gone now due to re-zoning and political correctness … love the Capri …needs rescued ..as body work looks good …few others caught my eye!!